I no longer bother with buying those old-fashioned printed books, you know, the ones that used to fill up libraries and bookstores. The new ones that smell like glue and cheap paper, or the older ones with that ancient aroma, worn and weathered yet utterly delightful. The kind that rustles so beautifully under your fingertips, each page a unique experience.
So, I’ve ditched those.
My bookshelf fills up faster than I can blink, and I’ve been giving away books left and right, simply because I need the space for new additions. I’m a voracious reader, you see. But when you’re constantly on the move, even hopping between continents, hoarding books just doesn’t make sense. Hence, I stick to buying and reading electronic versions only.
Therefore, I reckon books, in their original form, are a bit of a quirky relic nowadays, although I do miss them. Rules are meant to be bent occasionally, so I do have a few hard copies lying around, but mostly I just fondle and sniff them in bookshops.
Of course, it’s not about whether it’s a piece of glued paper with a cardboard cover or glowing letters on a tablet. I’ve already embraced the conveniences of e-books. A paper book from a physical store won’t remember where I left off, unlike its digital counterpart. And those paperbacks on my shelf can’t magically deliver a new read while I’m snug under a blanket with a glass of red wine. Port. Yum.
I adore reading, whether it’s a paper book or displayed on a screen.
As a kid, I was mad about reading. I breezed through the required school books and dove headfirst into my own picks. Adventure stories were my thing—fictional tales of Indians, cowboys, or real stories of indigenous people deep in the Amazon rainforest, I devoured them all in one go.
Writers tend to write in the genres they love reading themselves. As an adult, I devour nearly every genre of fiction except overly romantic ones. But I’ve always had a soft spot for crime books. I mean, I read thrillers, comedies, fantasy, horror, but what really grabs me are serial killer novels.
Ever wondered why?